Contracts Specialist, Discovery Sciences Contracts Specialist, Discovery Sciences

Job Description

Job Description

Scope of Work
" Draft, review, negotiate, and finalize assigned agreements for outsourced discovery science services, including confidentiality agreements (CDAs), work orders and amendments, and software/SaaS agreements supporting research activities
" Negotiate directly with third-party suppliers to advance and close assigned agreements, applying Lilly's templates, fallback positions, and playbooks
" Manage a high volume of concurrent assignments, meeting agreed timelines and adjusting priorities as directed by the contracting lead
" Identify non-standard terms, risks, or issues outside established playbook positions and raise them to the contracting lead with a clear summary and proposed options
" Use Lilly's contract lifecycle management (CLM) system for all assigned work, including intake, drafting, version control, status tracking, and record keeping, keeping records current and accurate
" Create purchase requisitions in SAP Ariba for executed agreements as assigned
" Provide regular status updates on assigned agreements to the contracting lead
Out of Scope
" Engagement with internal business partners, scientific teams, or project management teams on contracting needs or intake
" Direct escalation to Legal or other internal subject matter experts; all escalations route through the contracting lead
" Procure-to-pay activities other than purchase requisition creation, including invoice reconciliation

Quals--
***'s Early Phase Oncology organization is seeking a temporary contracts professional for a 6 -12 month, full-time assignment. The contractor will draft, negotiate, and process procurement-facing agreements for outsourced discovery science services, working from assignments provided by a Lilly contracting lead. This is an individual contributor role focused on executing assigned contracts accurately, on time, and within Lilly's established templates, playbooks, and systems.
Required Qualifications
" Bachelor's degree
" 2 years of contract drafting and negotiation experience in a pharmaceutical, biotechnology, CRO, or life sciences procurement setting
" Working knowledge of common commercial and legal provisions, including intellectual property, confidentiality, indemnification, limitation of liability, and payment terms
" Demonstrated ability to manage a high volume of concurrent agreements with accuracy and attention to detail
" Experience working within established templates, playbooks, and approval frameworks
" Experience using a contract lifecycle management (CLM) system
" Clear written and verbal communication skills, including direct negotiation with external suppliers
" Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel)
Preferred Qualifications
" Experience contracting for outsourced research services such as preclinical CROs, discovery biology, or chemistry services
" Degree or background in biology or a related scientific discipline
" Scientific literacy sufficient to understand the scope, deliverables, and technical terms of discovery research services (e.g., in vitro and in vivo studies, assay development, chemistry services) and translate them accurately into contract language
" Experience with software and SaaS agreements, including data platform agreements, in a research context
" Experience with SAP Ariba or a comparable procurement system
" Comfort using AI tools to support contract drafting and review
Work Environment
Remote work with light office duties. No travel expected.

EEO:

Mindlance is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in employment on the basis of Minority/Gender/Disability/Religion/LGBTQI/Age/Veterans.